An Argentine asado
or barbecue is not authentic without this delicious marinade called chimichuri.
It is similar to a multi spiced vinaigrette and is given an earthier tone
with the addition of saffron. I serve this with poultry or shellfish and
brush it on op of garlic bread before toasting.

Powder threads and
steep in lemon juice for 20 minutes. Combine all ingredients with
whisk and store in covered jar.

Special Note: The
key point of this recipe is the so called "grasa de pella". It is a liquid
fat obtained by melting in a skillet pieces of veal fat you can ask to
your butcher. They discard these pieces of fat after trimming the meat
for steaks. At the end of process, filter the liquid fat through a tea
colander to eliminate solids. Producing the ingredient in this way instead
of purchasing it, guarantees the homemade taste and avoids unpleasant surprises.

Combine flour and
salt in a bowl. Pour in the tepid liquid "grasa de pella", the entire egg
and water until reasonable well combined. Turn out on a floured surface
and knead until smooth. Leave 15 minutes to rest covered with a moisted
cloth. Roll on the dough with a knead-stick stretching until 3 milimeters
thick. Cut circles aproximately 5 inches in diameter.

Heat the two large
cups of "grasa de pella" in a saucepan until liquid. Saute in it the chopped
onion until soft but not brown. Retire from heat and add the chopped meat,
paprika, crushed red pepper and salt to taste. Turn for mixing very well.
Let the filling become cold and then refrigerate until it solidifies. This
is the secret for juicy empanadas.

Final Setup: Place
a portion of filling in the center of each circle of dough and add a green
olive without core. Lightly brush the edges with water and fold the dough
over the filling.Crimp the edges
securely by pressing them with a fork or make overlaped small folds along
the line of union of the edges as a sort of seam called "repulgue".
Make sure it remains securely closed.

To bake: Preheat
the oven to 375°F(180°C). Arrange the empanadas on a butteredcookie sheet. Brush
the tops lightly with egg yolk or butter and bake until light brown.(aprox.
15 minutes)

To saute: Heat enough
oil to cover the empanadas in a saucepan over high heat. When very hot,sink
the empanadas until light brown. (aprox. 5 minutes) Verify the temperature
of oil. It must be very hot. Throw a small piece of bread into the pan
to check it. The bread will be surrounded by bubbles when oil is ready.

In both ways of
cooking wait 15 minutes before eating. The filling has a high thermal inertia
and burning your tongue will not help to enjoy this delicious typical Argentine
meal.

Place the meat in
a glass dish. Mix together the vinegar, garlic and thyme. Pour over the
meat and let marinate for 1 or 2 hours at room temperature. Preheat the
oven to 375 degrees F. Wash the spinach under cold running water; drain
and trim off the stems.Spread the leaves
evenly over the meat. Lay the carrots, in rows, across the grain of the
meat. Place the egg quarters between the rows of carrots. Scatter the onion
rings over the eggs and carrots, then sprinkle the parsley, red pepper
flakes and salt over all. Carefully roll up the meat with the grain, jellyroll
fashion. Secure with toothpicks and lace up withstring. Or tie
with string at 1-inch intervals. Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add the
meat and brown well on all sides. Add the stock, cover tightly, and bake
for 1 hour. Remove the matambre from the pan to a board and let rest for
10 minutes. Using a sharp knife, remove the strings and cut the roll into
1/4 inch slices. Arrange on a heated platter and moisten with a little
of the cooking broth. To serve cold: In Argentina, the matambre is poached,
then removed from the pot and pressed under weights until the juices drain
off. It is refrigerated until chilled, then served as a hors d'oeuvre,
cut into thin slices.

Argentinian
Stew in a Pumpkin ShellServes 6Courtesy of Iara
<IL918@aol.com>

Trim any excess
fat from beef and cook with onion and garlic in oil until meat is browned.
Add tomatoes, green pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, sugar,
apricots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer 1
hour. Meanwhile, cut top off pumpkin and discard. Scoop out seeds and stringy
membrane. Brush inside of pumpkin with butter and sprinkle lightly with
salt and pepper. Stir sherry and corn into stew and spoon into pumpkin
shell. Place shell in shallow pan and bake at 325F 1 hour, or until pumpkin
meat is tender. Place pumpkin in large bowl and ladle out stew, scooping
out some of pumpkin with each stew serving.

In a large saucepan,
boil salted water, put into it the whole chicken and let it boil. A younger
chicken cooks better. Take of the froth off and add the garbanzo beans,
soaked the night before and packed in a soft cloth. Always boiling. Add
the green onions, leeks, carrot, bay leaf, garlic, turnips and the herbs.
Let it all cook well. An hour before serving, add the cabbage, corn and
sweet potatoes, a little after the potatoes, squash and chorizo, and 1/4
hour before serving, add rice.

How to eat it:First, eat the
soup with rice. Then in another plate eat the meat and vegetables. Nice
for a cold day, stuffs you, so be careful.

Filling:Fry the onion in
shortening and butter, only to soften it, not brown. Add minced meat mixed
with water and salt, mix and don't let it fully cook, add parsley, paprika,
sugar, cumin, raisins, boneless olives, flour and put off the heat. It
must be very juicy. Mix the hard cooked eggs sliced and the butter, and
let cool.

Meantime, prepare
the dough. Put the flour on the table, make a hole. Inside put the butter,
egg yolks, sugar and shortening, and mix together and with milk and a little
salt. Knead the dough throughly. Roll the dough, stretching until 3 millimeters
thin. Cut it in circles, about 10 centimeters diameter. Fill each circle
with a little filling in the center, lightly brush the edges with a little
water, fold the empanadas over the filling and press well the borders with
a fork to seal or better, make little overlaped folds along the line of
union of the edges as sort of seam, called "repulgo". Deep fry the empanadas
and dry on paper towels, then sprinkle a little sugar over them.

Sautee onion in
margarine. Add spinach and sautee together. Mix the ricotta cheese and
grated cheese, one raw egg and another egg hardboiled and chopped. Add
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Proceed to fill the empanadas as explained
in the meat ones. Only that those you bake.